IWV Groundwater Group discusses wide array of topics

The Cooperative Groundwater Group of the Indian Wells Valley meeting heard a discussion of salt and nutrient management plans, took public comment and heard an update about its website.

By Mike BodineSTAFF WRITERmbodine@ridgecrestca.com

The Cooperative Groundwater Group of the Indian Wells Valley meeting heard a discussion of salt and nutrient management plans, took public comment and heard an update about its website.Cindy Wise of the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board gave a power point presentation update on Salt and Nutrient Management Plans as part of the statewide Recycled Water Policy. Basically, water with an already high salt or nutrient content is not conducive to recycling.The goal of the policy is to increase the use of recycled water. There are mandates for the recycled water that include increasing its use by one million acre-feet pr year by 2020 and at least two-million acre feet statewide by 2030. Wise added that the state will probably look favorably toward users of recycled water during grant application time.The salt and nutrient content varies from water basin to basin, Wise explained and so the plans will be adjusted on a regional basis. Each plan will be site specific depending on several factors including, size and complexity of the basin, water source, recharge from storm water, hydrogeology, aquifer water quality and the watershed activities and other stress factors. Each basin will have its own set of monitoring plans, goals and objectives to the plan, Wise explained in her presentation.The Lahontan Region, while it is the largest geographically, representing about 24 percent of the state, it only contains less than 2 percent of the states water users. A colored map provided by Wise showed that concentrations of salt and nutrients in the state were near the coast and metropolitan areas. She explained that compared to the rest of the state, the Lahontan region does not have much of a salt and nutrient problem. Part of the policy is to have a salt and nutrient plan in place by May 2014, with some extension time granted.There are challenges to the plan, Wise explained, like how to actually implement the plans and a lack of funding that means a lack of funded staff and no future funding in sight.In other meeting notes, the website for the group has been updated, providing, hopefully easier access to studies and other files.